


Never Be Alone

by kierathefangirl



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Bad Touch Trio, F/M, Italian trio, Lovi being cute & hopeful, M/M, OC Hayden being a bastard, Toni being protective
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-05 20:00:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10315877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kierathefangirl/pseuds/kierathefangirl
Summary: Bad Touch Trio interferes on Lovi's behalf. Lovi begins to wonder if just maybe, he /can/ have friends (that aren't lil' b*tches like Hayden was).





	1. Toni and Gil (Lovi's POV)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DandyDonut17](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DandyDonut17/gifts).



> Cussing & abuse involved. Don't like, don't read. Also, insults religion (because LGBTQA+ stuff going on and here, religion is the explanation for Lovi's family not liking him (to put it nicely)). Again, don't like, don't read. :)
> 
> POV-based (first person). Written while listening to "Never Be Alone" by Shawn Mendes; I'd recommend listening to it while reading. :) Here's a YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRLzWrBhZdY
> 
> Comments are always welcome! I love to get feedback and improve my writing. :) :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Protective BTT! Toni & Gil see someone bullying Lovi and step in & also make friends. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lovi's POV. Bullying.

I back away towards the three kids from school up the trail. I don’t know any names, but I’m praying to any merciful God they’ll notice and help me.

Hayden laughs. “You can’t run forever!”

The kids turn at the sound. _There._ I hold my breath, hoping beyond hope that maybe they’ll do something.

Hayden leaps on me. I hit the ground with a breathless yelp, only half-heartedly trying to fight back. He hasn’t let me sleep in _days_ ; I can’t take this for much longer.

The boys move towards me, and the tall boy with green eyes shoves Hayden off of me. “Hey, leave him alone.”

Hayden rolls to his feet. I sort of try to get up, but Hayden isn’t having that; he kicks me hard with a growl. I collapse with a groan, licking my lips to clean off the blood.

The boy moves between Hayden and I. His albino friend joins him, fists clenched at his sides. “ _Leave him alone._ ”

Hayden scoffs, but he’s not stupid. He knows when he’s outnumbered. He turns on his heel and struts off importantly.

The tall boy pulls me up to my feet. “Are you okay?”

Despite all my prayers, I’ve never expected someone to _actually_ stop him. I blink a couple times and stare blankly at him, not sure what—if anything—to say.

“Has anyone ever stopped him before?” the albino asks.

I hesitate, then shake my head. The albino and the tall boy exchange a glance.

The tall boy reaches out and lays a hand on my shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?” he asks gently.

I almost pull away, but then I don’t. I lick the blood from my teeth and give him a wary, curious look.

“I think he’s bleeding,” the albino says.

The tall boy takes the slightest step closer. “I’m Toni, and this is Gil.”

I blink a couple times again. “I-I’m Lovi,” I answer quietly.

“I think he’s scared, too,” Gil says.

Toni glances at him. “You think we should take him to your dad?”

Gil nods firmly, then goes on to assure me, “My dad’s a doctor.”

 _Concern_. I register. _He’s worried about me? Are they both…?_

Toni nods slightly. “Okay.”

His hand slides down my arm to close firmly on my hand. He turns and begins to walk, and Gil falls into step on my other side. It takes a bit before I manage to match his pace; and even when I do, I’m not really paying attention to where he’s going. I’m trying to comprehend what the _hell_ just happened.

Gil reaches out and ruffles my hair. “I’ve seen you around school,” he says.

I pull away instinctively. I don’t know why, but Toni’s touch doesn’t really bother me the way Gil or anyone else’s does. I glance at him, hesitantly answering, “I know.”

“What grade are you in?” he asks.

I swallow once. “Eleventh.”

“Oh, hey, so are we,” Toni laughs. “Cool.”

I glance quickly at him. He doesn’t scare me as much, but I still wouldn’t say I trust him.

Gil laughs. “Don’t you have a little brother?”

I nod. “Feli.”

Gil grins. “Hey, he’s friends with my little brother Ludwig.”

Some of my tension eases. Feli told me how cool Ludwig’s big brother is; maybe he won’t be so bad.

I glance at him. “Feli told me about you. He thinks you’re cool.”

Gil looks delighted. “Really?”

I nod once. Gil laughs. “Awesome!”

Toni raises an eyebrow. “One of my teachers told me about your older brother Sebastian. She says she misses him and he’s super smart.”

“He’s ten years older than me,” I laugh breathlessly. “I’m surprised she remembers.”

Toni blinks. “Wow.”

I glance at him. “He’s a lawyer now.”

Toni laughs. “That’s awesome!”

I sort of smile. It’s the first time in years I’ve been so comfortable around someone else; not since Hayden. _And look how that turned out._ But these people, they...they’re different. ...They’re _different_.

Toni nudges me. “Hey, that’s better. It’s okay to smile, ya know.”

I duck my head to hide a blush and a grin. “I haven’t smiled in years. It’s not that simple.”

Gil scoffs a little. “You must’ve smiled at least once.”

I shake my head. “I haven’t had reason to. Not really. I don’t have friends—and Hayden’s no help.”

Toni wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Well, now you do—friends _and_ a reason.”

I look so surprised Gil begins to laugh. “Chill out, man, you’ll scare him off.”

I wave a dismissive hand at him. “It’s...fine. I don’t mind.”

“He might as well have dumped cold water on you, you look so surprised,” Gil points out.

I shrug casually. “I just... _you_ try not having friends when everyone hates you. It’s not easy.”

“Everyone?” Toni asks. “I’m sure that’s an overstatement.”

I shake my head. “With the exception of my two brothers, my entire family turned their backs on me. And no one else likes me.”

Gil frowns. “Dude, that’s so stupid.”

I can’t help it; I begin to laugh. I haven’t laughed in so long it feels strange in my throat, but it feels good too. It’s almost a happy sound, if I’ve ever made one.

Gil’s frown turns into a startled smile in response. Toni seems to have a similar reaction of delight.

I grin at him. “Try telling them that. Believe me, my brothers have tried and everyone adores Feli—and they _still_ won’t listen.”

“That’s immature,” Toni says. “That’s not how family is supposed to act.”

I raise an eyebrow. “They’re Catholic.”

Toni blinks, then grins. “That’s even worse. My family did the same thing because I’m bi—it doesn’t change who you are. They’re still in Spain.”

“My family turned on Lud and I cause he’s gay and I’m bi,” Gil says. “Religion is dumb, y’know?”


	2. Where Were You? (Lovi's POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lovi goes home to eat dinner (much later than he usually goes home). His brothers are delighted to hear he made friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lovi's POV. Non-supportive family & jerks. ...Just sayin'.

“Where were you?” Valentino demands.

I look up, surprised. He rarely speaks to me anymore. “Out. With friends, I think.”

“You think?” he scoffs. “You don’t _have_ friends.”

_Don’t make me start doubting them just hours after I met them._

“They fought Hayden off,” I tell him coldly. “It’s a start.”

Valentino glares at me, then says, “Dinner’s on the table. Come get it or starve.”

He turns on his heel and strides off importantly, dusting his tux off.

I roll my eyes and drop my backpack in my room, then head to the table.

There’s an open spot between Valentino and Aunt Maria, and one between Sebastian and Feli. I take the one between my brothers, not wanting to sit next to people who won’t stop glaring at me.

Feli smiles at me. “You’re home late.”

I try to smile back. It takes a couple tries, but I finally manage a half-smile. “I’m okay.”

Feli’s eyebrows lift a little and his smile grows. “You’re smiling!”

I grin and look away. “I...think I may have accidentally made friends?”

Feli’s eyes widen and he inhales sharply. “Oh my gosh!”

I sort of laugh. It’s strange in my throat still, but it’s less strange than it was earlier.

Sebastian ruffles my hair. “I told you you could.”

I raise an eyebrow at him, but I can’t hide the smile. “Uh, Seb, it’s not as simple as the freaking engine going ‘ _I think I can_ ’. And it wasn’t on purpose, either. I ran across them in the park, kids from school. They just sorta started talking to me. I dunno, they seem alright. One of them knows Feli.”

Feli looks up. “Oooooh, who is it?”

“Gil.”

He giggles. “Lud’s big brother.”

I nod. “He seems to think you’re just the cutest thing.”

Feli giggles again. “Well, he’s cool.”

I grin at him. “He seems aware of that.”

Mom and Dad simply roll their eyes. As I suspected, only my brothers really care.

After a simple grace, we dig in. I eat quieter than usual, still turning over the day’s events in my head. It’s still hard to believe that after all these years, I may have actually found someone like...well, like Toni I guess. He’s so different. I think I’m starting to fall for him—and in my current situation, that scares me.


	3. Lost Soul (Toni's POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni reflects on the day. His older brother (Nathan) and father worry about him (he's not eating his churros!).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toni's POV. Shorter chapter.

Lovi’s story saddens me. Another lost soul—and from the impression I got, he still lives with the rest of his family. That’s an uncomfortable situation at best—catastrophic at worst.

I pick quietly at my churros. Normally I’d be overjoyed to eat it, but I just...I don’t know. I want to fix it. I want to make him happy. I don’t like how scared he is. He’s so scared just...just to be himself.

“Is everything okay?” Nathan asks.

I look up, blinking a few times at my older brother. “Oh, I-I’m fine. I’m just...I don’t know. I talked to someone in a similar situation today—he still lives with his Catholic family. From what he said—although he never said it outright—I think he’s gay, and only his brothers still like him. His parents, his cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents, they’ve all abandoned him. And he still _lives_ with them.”

Dad perks up a little. “If they’re uh—”

“I know,” I agree. “He won’t say. Him and his brothers want out...but they don’t have the money yet to support themselves. And they don’t want a cheaper house elsewhere because they like our school.”

Dad pauses. “Well, there’s a couple cheap houses in our neighborhood. With a little pick-me-up they could work. And they’re still within the school boundaries.”

“I’ll pass it along,” I agree, swallowing some food past the lump in my throat. _I want to do something. But what? Unless they’re abusing him there’s not really anything I can do. It’s so frustrating._

I’ve hardly eaten anything, but I get up and abandon what remains of my food in favor of heading to bed. I can’t force anything more down, not now. I’ll eat it when I feel better—not when I feel like throwing things and-or throwing up.

I curl up under the sheet and shut the light off, burying my face in the pillow. _I’ll talk to him at school tomorrow. I need to know—I need to do something._


	4. What's The Difference? (Marcus' POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marcus (Toni's father) and Nathan (his older brother) discuss Toni's sudden change in behavior (and this also gives Toni a bit more thorough of a backstory).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marcus' POV (Toni's dad). Backstory (it's a bit sad).

Nathan and I exchange a glance. “That’s odd,” Nathan says. “He never leaves churros behind.”

“I think he’s really upset,” I tell him. “He hates it when people do that. Y’know, turn their backs on people with reasons like sexuality or trans status. It pisses him off so much. He’ll be alright—just give him some time to talk to the kid.”

“I kinda wanna talk to this kid,” Nathan says. “It sounds like he needs some serious help.”

I release a sigh. “It does. That’s why I said if he’s getting abused we can step in. Just from what he’ll say it sounds like it’s a possibility. He’s just like his mother—she hated stuff like this too, before it was her sons.”

Nathan grumbles. “I still don’t get it. What’s the difference?”

I shrug. “Don’t ask me. She was my wife, that doesn’t mean I understand everything about her. It’s possible she never really understood it until it happened to her. Perhaps this is Toni’s way of coping—he’s turning his hatred and frustration onto other people who do the same thing. People he can talk to, people he can argue with. He wants to fix the problem—he wants to negotiate. But I don’t think he feels capable of negotiating with his mother.”

Nathan shakes his head. “Possibly. I’ll ask him about it later. But I still wanna talk to the kid.”

“So do I,” I agree. “But he’d have to introduce us first, and that could take awhile. The kid’s probably a bit gun-shy of people considering his situation.”

“True,” Nathan agrees softly. “But hopefully not too long.”


	5. Tell Him (Lovi's POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lovi lets slip. The BTT tell him he should tell Feli. He fights them.

“Hey!” Toni greets me with a smile, sitting down next to me.

I can feel Hayden’s glare from across the room—he’s a little angel at school—and I can feel the stares of kids who wonder why in the world someone as popular as Toni would _ever_ talk to anyone as weird and stupid and annoying as me.

Gil sits down across from me, and a curly-haired blonde sits next to him. “This is Francis,” he tells me. “We call him France-y Pants.”

Francis inclines his head. “Bonjour.” (( _Hello/good day._ ))

“Bonjour,” I answer automatically.

“Vous parlez français?” Francis asks excitedly. (( _You speak French?_ ))

I nod. “Je l’ai apprendu depuis quelques ans, ouais. Ce n’est pas une langue très difficile.” (( _I learned it a few years ago, yeah. This isn’t a very difficult language._ ))

“Oh, bon!” Francis smiles at me, then turns his attention to his salad and yogurt. (( _Oh, good!_ ))

“I didn’t know you could speak French,” Gil comments, surprised.

I grin. “Back in Italy we had three foreign languages, English, and Italian. So yes, I do.”

“What else did you learn?” Gil asks.

I cough and duck my head. “German and Spanish. They also had Dutch but very few people wanted to take it. Why would we when we can speak the most popular languages?”

“Oh, Ludwig und ich sprechen Deutsch!” (( _Ludwig and I speak German!_ ))

I laugh a little. “Ich habe so viel erraten.” (( _I guessed as much._ ))

Toni is strangely quiet, then he says, “¿Estás bien? Te ves cansado.” (( _Are you okay? You look tired._ ))

I glance at him, surprised. “Estoy bien. No he estado durmiendo demasiado bien. ...Hayden.” (( _I’m fine. I just haven’t been sleeping too well. ...Hayden._ ))

“I know ‘ _bien_ ’ is good, right?” Francis asks.

Toni nods. “Sí.”

Toni returns his gaze to me. “¿Like...no ha estado dejándote dormir?” (( _Like, he hasn’t been letting you sleep?_ ))

Francis furrows his brows. “Are you talking about sleeping?”

“Not sleeping,” Toni corrects. “Just let him answer.”

I hesitate a moment. “Well...especie de. Mi familia estuvo de acuerdo en dejarme comer comidas con ellos, a pedido de mi hermanito. Pero no me dejan quedarme.” (( _Well, sort of. My family agreed to let me eat meals with them, on my little brother's demand. But they won't let me stay there._ ))

“Family?” Francis asks.

I glance at him. Toni waves a hand. “Stop trying to translate. I’ll tell you what we’re saying after I’m done asking questions.”

Toni rolls his eyes a bit and asks, “¿Quieres decir que te patearon a las calles?” (( _You mean they kicked you to the streets?_ ))

I hesitate. “Tal vez. Es mejor que tratar con Alessio y Papá.” (( _Maybe. It’s better than dealing with Alessio and Dad._ ))

Toni blinks a few times. “What?”

Gil looks up. “Toni, I’m trying to be patient here. Fill us in?”

Toni looks up and sighs. “He hasn’t been sleeping too well because that kid, Hayden, won’t leave him alone. And he doesn’t have anywhere to run; his little brother demanded that he be allowed in the house to eat meals with the rest of the family, but otherwise he’s on the streets. He says it’s better than dealing with Alessio and his dad.”

“Who’s Alessio?”

“Mi abuelo. Uno de ellos” (( _My_ _grandpa. One of them._ ))

“One of his grandfathers,” Toni translates.

Francis frowns. “Dealing with them? What’d’they do?”

“Mucho. Es difícil de explicar.”

“A lot. It’s hard to explain _,_ ” Toni translates for me.

“A lot as in they’re...hurting you?” Gil asks.

I blink a few times. “No, no, no. Nunca me golpearon.” (( _They never hit me._ ))

“They’ve never hit him,” Toni tells him.

I nod once. “Me odian, pero no son tan locos. Saben que se meterían en problemas con la ley si alguno de mis hermanos se enteró, con Sebastian siendo abogado ahora. Y Feli se lo diría.” (( _They hate me, but they’re not that crazy. They know they’d get in trouble with the law if either of my brothers ever found out, what with Sebastian being a lawyer now. And Feli would tell him._ ))

“You know verbal abuse is still abuse legally speaking,” Gil insists.

I shift a little. “I know. But that would mean telling Sebastian. I don’t want t—he’s stressed enough without all that.”

Francis shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter if he’s stressed. The longer you wait the more stressed he’ll be. Does he know about Hayden? Does he know you’re sleeping on the streets?”

I shake my head. Toni reaches out and lays a hand over mine. “Lovi, he deserves to know. He’s your big brother. Believe me, I...I have one.”

“Nathan?” Gil asks.

Toni nods. “He’d be pissed if I kept something like that from him. Not at me, but at whoever or whatever made me shut up about it.”

I shift uneasily. I know he’s right; I _know_ he is. I know my brother. I know.

Feli materializes at the corner of the table. “Hi!”

Gil looks up. “Oh, hey, Feli! What’s up?”

“I heard Lovi made friends,” Feli giggles.

Gil grins at me. “Did he, now?”

Toni laughs a little. “Hi. I’m Toni.”

“Feli,” he answers. “I’m his little brother.”

“Bonjour,” Francis greets him. “I’m Francis.”

“Ciao,” Feli giggles.

Feli tilts his head at me, his smile fading for a moment. “You look tired.”

“I’m okay,” I tell him.

“Sure?”

“Sure.”

Feli’s smile returns. “Okay!”

He bounds off back across the lunch room.

Gil’s gaze returns to me. “No, you’re not.”

I cough a little. “Like I’d tell him that. I won’t be the one to shatter his innocence. If he finds out, it won’t be from me. I can’t bear to even think of the look on his face.”

“He loves you,” Gil says. “Believe me, _as a big brother_ , you should tell him.”

“I’m a big brother and a little brother,” I tell him. “You can’t pull that card on me.”

“Wouldn’t you rather Feli told you if something went wrong in his life?” Gil pushes.

I miss a beat. “Of course I would.”

“Then why can’t you return the favor?”

I knew he would say that. I sigh. “It’s not that simple.”

“Isn’t it?”

I shake my head. “It’s not! How am I supposed to tell him his favorite grandfather and beloved father hate his precious big brother? How am I supposed to tell him that his favorite cousin convinced his mother to kick me out of the house? How am I supposed to tell him his big brother is living on the streets and getting beat up every night? How the _hell_ am I supposed to tell a thirteen year old, innocent kid that? It’s _not_ that simple. It’s _not_.”

“Would you rather he overhear someone else talking about it?” Francis adds. “Gil’s right; hiding it from him is doing him no good.”

“He’s _happy,_ damn it,” I insist. “No, it’s not helping him to understand the situation and how grave it is. But it _is_ making him happy. And like hell I’m gonna destroy my little brother’s happiness. The last time his happiness was destroyed, it took him two hospital visits for attempted suicide and three _years_ before he got better. I’m not gonna be the one to put him there again.”

Toni’s fingers wrap around my hand. “Lovi,” he says in this soft little voice, “It’s more likely that’s going to happen if he finds out from someone else...than if he finds out from you.”

That voice is so irresistible I have to actively fight it. “But—”

“Lovi,” he pushes gently, “speaking as a little brother of three, _please_. Believe me, Nathan and I went through something similar.”

I open my mouth to respond, but I can find nothing to say. Again, I find myself thinking _he’s probably right._

 _No, no, no, don’t do that to yourself,_ my brain pushes back. _Don’t do it. It’d kill you._

_But it could kill him if you don’t._

I drop my head on the table. Toni moves closer and wraps his arms around me, pressing his lips to the top of my head and holding me sort of like Sebastian might. It’s the kind of hug that makes me want to trust him. The kind that makes me _want_ to listen. To be friends with him.


	6. Are You Okay? (Lovi's perspective)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feli catches Lovi at home. Lovi spills! (Toni had more influence than he thought.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lovi's (super-dark) backstory! Backstory is repeated (once for Feli, once for Sebastian) with slight differences (Feli vs. Seb vs. uses of "you", also word choices used).
> 
> Lovi's POV. Sorry for the feels... :)
> 
> OVERPROTECTIVE FELI. Feli being angry & no longer cute & oblivious. Feli stARTS A WAR!

Feli catches my arm in the hall. “Are you okay?”

I stop, unsure of what to say. I want to say yes. But Toni’s words make me rethink it. “...I don’t know.”

Feli looks surprised. I’ve never said that before, which tells him something _is_ wrong. “Wh-what happened?”

I shake my head. “It’s more that what’s _been_ happening is starting to wear down on me. I’m sorry, I...haven’t really slept much in a couple months.”

“A-a couple...what?” Feli’s brows furrow as he tries to understand. “I don’t get it. Why haven’t you been—I don’t—”

I glance up at him. “Hayden.”

“I thought he stopped.”

I shake my head. “He got worse. Especially once I was on the street.”

Feli’s eyes widen and his mouth opens as he tries to make the connection. “You—you don’t mean you’re—you’re not _living_ on the streets. Right?”

I begin to cough, rather than to answer. That’s answer enough; Feli’s eyes widen with horror. “Wait, what? Why? Wh-what? I...what?”

I turn away. Feli reaches out and turns me back. “I-I don’t understand.”

I mutter a couple curses under my breath. Feli reaches out, but doesn’t touch me. “Lovi?”

I can’t help it; I look up again. Feli’s eyes widen as they clash with mine; it’s clear I’ve been crying again, and recently. Bringing up Feli’s bout of depression hurt like a bitch, but I had to.

“Y-you’ve been crying,” he says uncertainly.

“I’m fine,” I say automatically.

“No, you’re not,” he says with trembling certainty.

Feli takes my hand and drags me upstairs into his room, shutting the door and shoving me down on his bed. Then he sits down on the floor and looks up. “Explain.”

I drop my eyes to my lap. His voice is so firm I know I can’t get out of it now. I can only pray to God that Toni’s right, that this will hurt less than if Valentino goes to tell him ‘ _that faggot is on the streets_ ’ or something like that.

“I—”

I stop. My voice breaks and fades away. I don’t know where to start; Mom, Dad, Valentino, Aunt Maria, the streets, Hayden, Toni; I...don’t know.

My heart beats way too hard in my chest. It burns against my ribcage, and I feel like crying again. I don’t want to be the reason Feli’s hurting. I don’t want to cause either of them pain, least of all him.

I take a deep breath. “It’s a long story.”

“Start from the beginning,” he suggests. “Why the _hell_ are you on the street?”

I cough a little. “That’s sorta the middle, but...Valentino. He talked to Mom. After a few times he convinced her to do it. I couldn’t say anything; Valentino said he’d hurt you if I did. They were planning on just cutting me off entirely, but they couldn’t. You were already starting to suspect something was wrong, they weren’t gonna make it worse.”

Feli blinks blankly. “He can’t hurt me.”

I shake my head. “Well, I didn’t know that and I wasn’t gonna test my luck. My luck was already running dry, there was no point in making it worse.”

“Then what’s the beginning?”

I cough a few times. “Uh....well, that involves a lot of lies and a lot of people you like hating me.”

Feli blinks, then furrows his brows. “What?”

I sigh. “Dad. Grandpa Alessio. Aunt Maria. Valentino. They hated me from the start; it only got worse when I came out. That’s also when Mom and everyone else turned on me. You and Seb are the only ones who didn’t—including any friends I had at the time. Hayden was one of them. The rest...I don’t know where they went. They just left. Everything went downhill from there. Val kept saying I would poison him or infect him or whatever. Maria said I would ruin her and her son. Alessio’s hate only grew and he never let it rest. Mom and Dad turned their backs on me. I tried asking them for help, but no go. Grandpa Lucca’s still up in Italy, so there’s nothing he could do even if he wanted to.”

Feli is quiet, but I can already see the pain in his eyes. He hates it when I lie about things like this.

I take a deep breath. “I didn’t talk to Sebastian. I didn’t want him turning on me, too. I didn’t tell you anything; I didn’t want to worry you. But it just kept getting worse. That’s when Val kicked me to the streets. And with that, came Hayden. He never let me rest. He kept pestering me, kept hurting me, kept...”

I cough a few times. “Kept raping me. I was getting weaker and he said he’d kill you if I told. He never really stopped. But that’s where Toni showed up. Hayden came after me after school. Toni and Gil fought him off, and even went so far as to check up with Gil’s doctor dad to make sure I was okay. Then they talked to me for hours, just chatting and being friendly. Then I came home for dinner, then left again.”

I shiver a little. “He hasn’t let me sleep at all the last three days. I don’t know how he’s doing it—he probably sleeps during school, knowing him. But there’s not much I can do about it, not when you’re on the line. I’m only saying anything because of Toni. He keeps insisting on doing something, that it’ll all be over soon. For the first time in three years, I’m sort of starting to hope again. To care again. I know I’m getting attached and it scares me. And I think I’m falling for him, too, which scares me even more. He’s changing everything, he’s...I don’t know. He’s different.”

Feli is still quiet, too quiet. Now the pain has turned to a boiling rage, just below the surface. He’s ready to explode. That’s not quite what I expected, but it’s better than seeing him cry.

Finally he speaks, in this quiet and dead little voice: “They won’t touch you again.”

His voice is solid ice and fire, so much so that even I shiver a little. Just in those few words, I know I can trust him. I know he won’t get hurt. He can fight, he’s strong. He’s strong.

Feli pulls himself up to his feet and crawls into my lap, hugging me so tightly it hurts a little. “Go find Toni. He sounds like a reasonable guy. Let Seb and I deal with this.”

I almost protest, but my voice dies out. “...Okay.”

Feli kisses my cheek and bounds to his feet, his eyes full of icy fire. It’s so, so cold. So dead. So broken. So _pissed_. It scares even me, and it’s not me it’s directed at.

Feli pulls me up to my feet and pokes his head out the door. “Sebastian?”

Seb pops out of his room. “Come here,” Feli says firmly, more demanding than I've ever heard him speak to our brother.

Seb gives him a weird look, but he does as he’s told. Feli pulls him into the room and shuts the door. “I found out what’s wrong with Lovi,” he says. “We have a fight on our hands.”

Sebastian glances at me, then slides a protective arm around my shoulders. The move now reminds me of Toni; he does it so damn often.

“What kind of fight?” Seb asks warily, very aware and wary of the tone of Feli’s voice.

“A legal one. Or a physical one, if we can punch some people.”

Seb blinks a few times in surprise; Feli never suggests violence.

I hide my face in Sebastian’s side. He tightens his grip, taking that as a bad sign. “Explain,” he says in a similarly demanding tone to Feli’s original tone.

“So,” Feli starts, “Lovi’s been living on the street.”

“ _What?_ ” Seb demands.

I cringe. Feli takes a small step closer. “Lovi?”

I take a deep breath. I knew he kept me around here for a reason. “Valentino; he talked to Mom. After a few times he convinced her to do it. I couldn’t say anything; Valentino said he’d hurt Feli if I did. They were planning on just cutting me off entirely, but they couldn’t. Both of you were already starting to suspect something was wrong, they weren’t gonna make it worse.”

Sebastian’s mouth drops open. Feli takes a deep breath. “It gets worse.”

I mutter a couple curses under my breath, turning away but taking Seb’s hand in one of mine. I can’t do this. Not again.

I take a deep breath. “A lot of people hate me. People that like both of you. And a lot of them lied, and they made me lie as well. Dad; Grandpa Alessio; Aunt Maria. ...Valentino. They hated me from the start; it only got worse when I came out. That’s also when Mom and everyone else turned on me. You and Feli are the only ones who didn’t—including all the friends I had at the time. Hayden was one of them. The rest...I don’t know where they went; they just left. Everything went downhill from there. Val kept saying I would poison him or infect him or whatever. Maria said I would ruin her and her son. Alessio’s hate only grew and he never let it rest. Mom and Dad turned their backs on me. I tried asking them for help, but no go. Grandpa Lucca’s still up in Italy, so there’s nothing he could do even if he wanted to.”

Sebastian is silent. Too silent. Too quiet. Too still. I can barely hear him breathing.

Feli nods. “Hayden. He gets worse.”

I nod once. “I didn’t talk to you; I didn’t want you turning on me, too. I didn’t tell Feli anything; I didn’t want to worry him. But it just kept getting worse. That’s when Val kicked me to the streets. And with that...came Hayden. He never let me rest. He kept pestering me, kept hurting me, kept...”

I cough a few times, trying to breathe through the pain. “Kept raping me. I was getting weaker and he said he’d kill Feli if I told anyone. He never really stopped. But that’s where Toni showed up—he's my friend, I think. Hayden came after me right after school got out. Toni and Gil fought him off, and even went so far as to check up with Gil’s dad—who’s a doctor—to make sure I was okay. Then they talked to me for hours, just chatting and being friendly. Then I came home for dinner, then left again.”

I shiver a little. “He hasn’t let me sleep at all the last three days. I don’t know how he’s doing it—he probably sleeps during school, knowing him and what he's like. He wouldn't care about missing school work. But there’s not much I can do about it, not when Feli’s on the line. I’m only saying anything about it because of Toni; he keeps insisting on _doing_ something, that it’ll all be over soon. For the first time in three years, I’m sort of starting to hope again. To _care_ again. I know I’m getting attached and it scares me—and I think I’m falling for him, too, which scares me even more. He’s changing everything, he’s...he’s...I don’t know. He’s different.”

Sebastian is still silent. Still too still. Too quiet, too still, too...

Finally he moves. “Oh.”

Feli nods. “Like I said: we have a fight on our hands. Hayden for sure. And then them, too. Because that’s not okay, none of it is. Lovi can stay with Toni or Gil; I’m sure they wouldn’t mind. But this is war.”

Feli’s voice gets dangerous, if it wasn’t before. I can feel the anger, the tension, just _radiating_ off of him in tidal waves.

Sebastian nods. “Definitely. Where do we start?”


	7. Staying With Toni (Lovi's POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lovi texts Toni. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lovi's POV. Short but fluffy.

“ _Feli wants me to stay with you,_ ” I text him. “ _And Gil. It’ll probably be safer. He’s also making war out of this. I mean, I told Feli everything. Even the stuff I really didn’t want to—the bad stuff. He went to tell Sebastian and now they’re making it a whole legal war._ ”

“ _Hey, good job! Of course you can stay with me._ ” Smiley face. “ _I told you as much; he’s not so much upset as angry. And he should be! Like I said, it’s not okay._ ”

“ _That’s kinda what he said. It’s almost scary; I’ve never seen him angry like that._ ” Send.

“ _Meet me at the park._ ” Smiley face. “ _Gil & I are here; Francis is off with Joan (his girlfriend)._”

“ _Okay._ ” Smiley face. Send. That’s the first time I’ve used it; I’ve never really had a reason to before. But this...I’m sorta relieved _and_ happy. This is different. Much different.


	8. The Whole Story (Toni's POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni tells Gil that Lovi finally told Feli. (That's a mouthful, isn't it? XD)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toni's POV.
> 
> PROTECTIVE BTT.

“Lovi explained everything,” I tell him excitedly. “The whole story. Feli’s pissed and starting a war. A legal one, with the help of big lawyer brother Sebastian.”

“I told him!” Gil punches a fist into the air. “That’s better!”

I laugh. “I pretty much said the same. Feli wants Lovi to stay with us at my place.”

“Okay,” Gil says excitedly. “That’s totally fine.”

I glance at my phone. Lovi explained everything to me, too, over text just before he got home. Hayden...I want to kill him.

I pocket my phone. “I think is was hard because of what Hayden did.”

“What’d’he do?”

I hesitate. “He beat up, pestered, and raped Lovi. In his own words, no less.”

Gil’s eyes widen. “Oh.”

I nod. “It explains a lot, though. I think I get it. Doesn’t make me any less pissed.”

“Yeah, totally,” Gil agrees quickly. “You’ve got every right to be!”

I nod. “Yeah. He’ll pay for it; Sebastian knows.”

“Speaking as a big brother,” Gil says, “Fuck yeah he will.”

I giggle a little. “Fuck yeah? I thought the phrase was ‘ _hell yeah_ ’?”

Gil laughs. “Not when I’m frustrated it’s not.”

I grin. “Yeah, same.”


End file.
